So i noticed this weekend that the bed is bowed upward a bit, you can see this looking at the front there is a gap in the middle versus no gap on the ends. I also noticed that you can push down a bit on the Y axis and it flexes there as well so i assume there is some gap there as well.
Did i assemble something wrong when i put it together or is this normal? Is there any way to induce a warp like that during assembly? I remember it being pretty straight forward.
I would have expected it to sit flat, unless my table top (3/4" plywood) isn’t actually flat.
One thing you have going on is what I refer to as “tolerance stacking”. Everything is machined to a tolerance and once the assembly is put together they stack up. This is why every CNC router should have the bed leveled or surfaced.
The table you have it on also does play a role as if you have high or low spots.They can effect the machine over that big of a span. Short of full industrial machines that cost tens of thousands (or more), the hybrid bed machines (Shapeoko 4, 4 Pro, 5 Pro, HDM) have the best structure in the price range by far. But as I found out, if your bench has high and low spots (I used Lowes project boards for mine and I wish I would have sprung for better hardwood butcher block) it can transfer to the bed of the machine.
Do you guys put foam under the whole machine or just between the feet to support the bed? If it a the whole machine I am guessing it needs to be fairly squishy.
My XL and SO5 4x2 are on two sections of Harbor Freight Anti Fatigue Mat, my Pro XXL is on a large sheet of foam from packaging a piece of equipment at my previous job.